When the sun comes out and its warmth finally starts to be felt it seems like a good time in our yoga practice to dive deeper into our sun salutation routine to perfect each pose of the sequence and be reminded of its true purpose!
Most of us associate Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar-a in Sanskrit) with the beginning of most Vinyasa Flow classes, as a way to build heat in the body and warm up for the asana poses that will follow, but in fact Sun Salutes are much more than that and represent a complete practice in themselves.
So what is the Surya Namaskar-a exactly?
Surya Namaskar-a in Sanskrit means Surya=Sun; Namaskar-a=Bow, Worship; and Namaskar broken down means: Na=not, Ma=mine, Kara=to do. The more literal meaning being precisely: not of my doing, but of the divine. Namaskar is also a traditional Indian greeting signified by placing the palms together in what we, in the West, think of as a prayer position. So the Surya Namaskara is the practice of worshiping and bowing before the Sun.
Historically, Surya Namaskar was a devotional practice, a daily offering made to the Sun at sunrise, facing eastward. But what does the Sun represent? Well, the sun can represent the actual sun, or mother nature, our third eye, or God, our true Self. The sun actually represents all these things, the source of everything, a place of light and cosmic awareness. As everything in Yoga goes beyond simple appearance the concept of Sun, at the end of the day, is a complete, holistic notion of union and feeling interconnected and complete, the goal of reaching a state of yoga. So already, on a conceptual level, it is clear, that the Surya Namaskara is a practice much deeper than a physical warm-up. Still and all, on a physical level it is also an incredibly complete and holistic practice.
“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
The Surya Namaskara is a sequence of roughly 10-12 poses (depending on lineage) sewn together to move the physical body in all directions and spread prana (life energy-force) throughout the body. Our main muscles are extended, flexed, lengthened and strengthened. The spine is moved all ways in order to remain supple and strong leading, as it is believed by yogis, to a long life of physical health. And furthermore, every pose is to be associated with breath (either an inhale or an exhale) to create a deep moving meditation. This conscious breathing, or pranayama, is the bridge between the mind and the body. It is the tool that helps quiet the mind chatter while calming the nervous system. So the poses and breath are linked in order to move beyond the physical body, calm and steady the mind and reach a state of moving meditation. The breath radiating throughout the body has the power to clear obstructions and to heal the body and to control the fluctuations of the mind, called 'chitta vritti', which create unease, wants, needs, doubts, confusion and suffering. This all leads us slowly and steadily to the goal of yoga, as explained by the eight limbs of yoga by Patanjali in the 'Yoga Sutras': from concentration (Dharana) to meditation (Dyana) to one day perhaps, enlightenment (Samadhi).
Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.
~Bob Harper~
The sequence is also an incredibly balanced, precise and meticulous string of poses that come together with meaning, like in a story. For instance we start in Tadasana (mountain pose) open and receptive and yet grounded and connected with the ground, earth beneath us. We then move into Utthita Hastasana (upward salute) and by reaching our arms or prayer to the sky we become the channel linking Earth to Sky, or better yet our earthly rooted existence to the divine, here we open up, tap into our intuition and listen for guidance. And so the sequence proceeds allowing us to bow forward in Uttanasana (forward fold) to worship and thank the earth we stand on, sustains us and from which we come from. The humble act of bowing forward also tends to lessen our attachment to the egoistic aspects of our nature. The palms pressing together in prayer unite the left and right hemispheres of the brain, cultivating an awareness of our wholeness and the oneness of all life. So the whole sequence is a dance of flowing with grace and an open heart sometimes opening up and back-bending other times forward folding in an act of humbleness. The sequence incorporates forward bends, backbends, inversions and is really designed to move the body holistically. The sequence is also designed to balance movement with moments of stillness such as when we hold our Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) for four or five breaths.
Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.
~K. Pattabhi Jois~
I'm writing this post to remind us of the complexity and richness of our yoga practice and to be reminded that sometimes the simplest things are the richest and most transformative. We're in a society always seeking the next best thing, everyone is aiming to stand on their heads, walk on their hands or contort into amazing shapes yet, by observing my own students I'm reminded that the Sun Salutations we do again and again are full of mistakes and are usually just rushed through in a dutiful manner filled with an expectation for something else to come, something better. But our practice teaches us that awaiting the next best thing won't necessarily bring us happiness and peace. Happiness and peace are only attainable in the now, in the present moment.
"Indeed the Surya Namaskar should never be mistaken for mere physical exercise –for something incidental, that is, that simply precedes the asanas of yoga. Therefore, it is necessary, before beginning the sun salutations, to pray to Surya [...] to bestow upon us the good fortune of having only good thoughts, of hearing and speaking only good words, and of attaining a sound and strong body, so that we may have a long life and, one day, achieve oneness with God."
~K. Patthabi Jois~
So the next time you go through your sun salutations I hope you'll be reminded of their scope and richness. I also invite you to slow down your practice and perfect every pose of your sequence, while also putting attention into every pause, space and transition within your breath and between your movements. And never forget that your breath is your metronome. As soon as the breath becomes heavy or jagged take a pause or a step back and notice where there is still work to be done, where you can be more gentle with yourself or where you can slow down. And learn to be easy with yourself and self loving- the art of Maitri- because this is at the heart of a yogic practice and path. We must start by loving ourselves in order to move to a state of compassion and love for others; to strive for a place in which we lose all sense of separateness, of distinctions between me and you, you vs. them. A place in which there is no 'other'. Where everything is interconnected and peaceful. In the words of Sharon Gannon: "A state in which we are missing nothing."
You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state.
What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you
where you are resisting your natural state.
~Sharon Gannon~